


they always find their way somehow

by Sonni89



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2015-12-18
Packaged: 2018-05-07 12:10:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5456036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sonni89/pseuds/Sonni89
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Four times something goes wrong when Riley and Maya travel together, and one time nothing does.</p>
            </blockquote>





	they always find their way somehow

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SadieFlood](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SadieFlood/gifts).



> Dear SadieFlood,
> 
> Happy holidays and happy Yuletide. I really hope you enjoy this fic!
> 
> Thank you to cashewdani and katayla for the beta.

**2013**

“Can you believe the storm outside?” Cory asked nobody in particular.

Riley, Maya and Cory were holed up in a motel room along I-95. They’d just spent a weekend in DC- Cory had told Riley and Maya that they should learn something about their own history, so he’d taken them to the American History Museum, the National Archives and all of the memorials, first and foremost the Lincoln Memorial, where Cory ranted on and on about why Abraham Lincoln was the greatest US President that had ever lived. They had endured it with grace. Until now.

“Ugh, Dad. I can’t believe you made us go on this trip and now we’re stuck in this stupid motel room,” Riley said.

“What are you talking about? We had a great time,” Cory said.

“No, Dad. _You_ had a great time. We were just indulging you,” Riley said and saw Maya wince. Fine, no one was on her side, then.

“The whole thing was really boring and now we’re stuck in this stupid motel in god-knows-where, New Jersey.” Riley crossed her arms in front of her and scowled.

“Actually, we’re in Maryland,” Cory said. He was visibly starting to lose his patience, but trying not to snap.

Riley got up, walked into the bathroom and slammed the door.

***

Maya walked over to the bed Cory was sitting on. She never wanted Riley’s dad to think she was ungrateful for everything he did for her and she had thought Riley was acting like a child. Of course, she would never tell her that. Friends stick together no matter what.  
.  
“Mr. Matthews, I had a really good time. Thank you for bringing me along,” she said.

Cory looked touched. Maya really hoped he wasn’t going to start crying. She could not deal with two emotional Matthews family members.

He didn’t and just said, “I’m glad. Thank you for joining us.”

Maya looked towards the bathroom.

“Go,” Cory said.

***

“Why are you so upset?” Maya asked when Riley finally opened the door. Maya had been banging on it for about five minutes.

Riley said nothing and sat down on the bathroom floor. Maya put an arm around her and hugged her close. At least Riley didn’t resist it.

“I just…” Riley said over tears. “I really wanted to get home to New York tonight. I miss my mom and Auggie. And I didn’t want to go on this stupid trip in the first place. It was so boring,” Riley said.

Maya still didn’t quite understand why it was so upsetting. Okay, Riley would rather have stayed in New York and missed her mom. That didn’t mean she needed to be _that_ upset.

“I think the only reason we went on this trip is you,” Riley finally said. She didn’t sound angry or mad, but she did sound dejected, with maybe a hint of disappointment.

“Me? Why would you say that?” Maya was genuinely confused. It’s not like she’d particularly wanted to go on that trip either, even though she ended up having a much better time than she expected.

“You had a good time, didn’t you?” Riley said and scowled.

Maya got it now. Riley thought her dad had planned this trip for Maya, not for Riley, and just took Riley along because she’s the daughter. Maya knew this wasn’t true at all. Riley’s dad had simply hoped to share one of his (incredibly nerdy) interests with the girls.

“I did. I’m really sorry you didn’t,” Maya said in response, and meant it. “I never get to go anywhere, though, so I was just happy to get to see somewhere that isn’t New York.”

At that, Riley stalled. She clearly hadn’t considered that. Maya loved Riley like a sister, but sometimes, she thought Riley could be quite clueless about how good she had it with two financially stable parents who loved her unconditionally.

After a moment of pause, Riley turned to Maya and hugged her. They were still sitting on the floor, so it was somewhat uncomfortable, but Maya happily accepted the hug.

“I’m sorry I was such a pain in the butt,” she said. Riley seemed to no longer be annoyed. “If you had a good time, that’s all that matters to me. You’re the most important to me and I just want you to be happy.” She wiped away her tears and smiled.

Maya got up and reached her hand down for Riley to hold on to. Riley got up and they walked out of the bathroom together, their arms slung around each other.

***  
The sky cleared overnight and they finally made it home the next day.

 

* * *

**2020**

“Mom, what are you doing here?” Maya asked as soon as she and Riley entered the Matthews’ apartment.

“What, me? Oh, I was just catching up with Topanga and she asked me to stay for dinner,” Katy said.

Maya didn’t believe her one bit, but chose to let it go for now.

“Everyone sit down. Dinner is served,” Topanga said and people rallied around the dinner table.

They ate their dinner in near-silence, only small-talking about the girls’ last day of regular classes in high school. They’d be going out for ice cream with their friends later to celebrate, but Riley’s parents had wanted them home for dinner, which was pretty odd, now that Maya thought about it.

“So, why are we here?” Riley asked, as if she could read Maya’s mind.

“It’s my baby’s last day of high school,” Cory said, almost getting a little bit weepy.

“Our babies’,” Katy clarified. Cory nodded.

“...and we’re just so proud of everything you’ve done. You’re going to college in Boston in the fall,” he looked at Riley as he said it, “and you got into Parsons here,” he said, looking at Maya, “and we just could not be happier with how you turned out.”

“So,” Topanga said, “we figured it was time to reward you for being such great kids. Adults now, technically.”

Maya and Riley’s eyes went wide at the word ‘reward’.

“Close your eyes and reach out your hands,” Katy instructed.

They did as they were asked.

“Open your eyes,” she said.

They opened their eyes and were initially a little confused when they saw Topanga and Katy had handed them each a rolled up piece of paper.

“Open it,” Cory said.

They did and their eyes nearly popped out of their head.

“This is…” Maya started, dumbfoundedly.

“A plane ticket to London?” Riley said, just as dumbfoundedly.

“But we can’t afford this,” Maya told her mom.

“I’ve been saving up for the past four years, dear. Topanga and I have been talking about this since you girls were freshmen. You’re a great daughter and you deserve this,” Katy said.

Katy had started working at a more upscale restaurant Maya’s sophomore year of high school and was recently promoted to assistant manager. Money was still tight, but they lived slightly more comfortably than they used to. She still didn’t think she would have been able to afford a plane ticket to Europe, but she hoped her mother would be responsible enough now to only give this to her if she could truly afford it.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” the girls shouted in unison.

Maya got up and hugged her mom, and Riley did the same, hugging her own parents. Sometimes, Maya thought, their parents truly were amazing and wonderful.

Maya later found out that Riley’s parents had practically begged her mom to let them pay for the girls’ accommodations. By their logic, they were getting Riley a hotel room anyway, so Maya might as well stay there too. She knew it was a ruse to not cause her mom any financial troubles. Maya would never be able to thank them enough.

***  
_Four months later_  
***

“Dad? What are _you_ doing here?” Riley asked.

After two weeks of traveling through England, France and Italy, Riley and Maya were just checking into their last hotel on their trip in Rome, which was much nicer than the hostels they’d stayed at in the other places they went. It had already seemed suspicious when they walked in.

“We figured while you got to have some fun, we’d also have some fun,” Cory responded, smiling. “It’s good to see you, kiddo.” He wrapped Riley up in a hug.

“You too. Come here,” he said in Maya’s direction and she walked forwards two steps to hug him.

“Hi girls,” Topanga said as she walked into the hotel. “Sorry, just had to pay the cab driver.”

“So, what _are_ you doing here?” Riley asked.

“We figured you girls shouldn’t be the only ones to get a European adventure, so we decided to spend a week in Italy,” Topanga said. “Coincidentally, we’re on the same flight home as you are.”

“You are in no way obligated to spend time with us,” Cory said.

“But we would like to take you out to dinner tomorrow night,” Topanga said.

“That would be really nice,” Maya said. She was actually really happy to see the Matthews’, especially now that she knew they wouldn’t spend all their waking hours watching over them like hawks. They’d gotten much better at giving her and Riley space over the past few years, but she knew in the back of her mind that they were there to make sure they were actually coming home and not, you know, running off with some Europeans. It was overbearing, but almost sweet.

***  
Three days later, they all split a cab to the airport. On the way there, Riley and Maya were scrolling through the pictures on their phones, reminiscing about the past few days.

“Oh, that pizza was so good, I’d have gotten it even if my parents hadn’t paid for it,” Riley said and kept scrolling. At one of the next pictures, she said, “Remember when we ran into my parents at the Trevi fountain yesterday?”

“That was hilarious, but it was so nice to get to make a wish together,” Maya said.

“Yeah, that was a great memory,” Riley said.

They had just gotten to the most recent pictures, a few selfies from that morning, when the cab pulled up to the terminal.

***

“I can’t believe they overbooked the plane,” Cory said, yelping.

He seemed pretty upset and had been testing the patience of a middle-aged Italian lady at the check-in counter for a good ten minutes. Still, she had told him in no clear terms that no other flights were available for that day.

“It’s okay, dad, we’ll live,” Riley told him and smiled. She didn’t think she minded another day in Rome. She hadn’t really been ready to leave yet anyway.

Cory and Topanga got the last two boarding passes for their flight, but there was no more room for Riley and Maya. The earliest they could fly out was tomorrow evening. Riley thought it was funny. If Cory and Topanga hadn’t come here to check up on them, Riley and Maya would probably be on a flight home now.

“Okay, well.” Topanga was more thinking out loud, trying to formulate a plan in her head. “What do you girls want to do? Take our boarding passes or stay here an extra day?”

Riley guessed her mother knew this was partly their fault, which is why she gave them a choice. Riley looked at Maya and smiled.

“I think we’d like to go back into the city. You can go back to New York,” Maya said. Riley loved that they always knew what the other was thinking; she would have said the exact same thing.

“Okay then,” Topanga said and took her phone out of her purse. “I’ll figure something out for you. I’ll be right back.”

She was on the phone for about two minutes when she turned around and smiled, then walked back to where Riley and Maya were sitting.

“Good news, the hotel we were at still has a room available for tonight,” she said when she returned.

“Be careful, okay,” Cory said, hugged Riley and kissed her on the cheek, then hugged Maya.

“We will,” Maya said and smiled. “Now go or you’ll miss your plane.”

***

They spent another day in Rome, mostly just wandering around the narrow streets and eating gelato. They had already done all of the sightseeing they wanted to do - they had thought they were going to leave, so they figured it was time to try to live like a local. They found a small park and just lay down for a bit while they listened to music on Riley’s iPhone.

“I know I suck for bringing this up,” Maya said after a while. She really didn’t want to, but Maya knew they couldn’t continue to ignore this like it wasn’t going to happen.

“Then don’t,” Riley said, pleading.

Both of them knew in the back of their minds that once they were going home, Riley had to pack for college while Maya had to find a new, ‘grown-up’ job and prepare to go to Parsons. They hadn’t spent more than a few days apart since they were little, so it was going to be a big adjustment for both of them.

“We have to talk about this sometime. You’re leaving...” Maya said.

“What is there to talk about? I was stupid enough to decide to go away for college and now I will never see you and I’ll miss you so much and I’ll have to cry myself to sleep every night,” Riley said, clearly trying to be overdramatic. “Why did I decide to do this?” She genuinely sounded sad when she said that last part.

“You decided to do this because it’ll be good for you,” Maya said, trying to reassure her… and possibly also herself.

Maya would do anything for Riley, even let her go to school four hours away. Riley needed to get away from New York and from her parents for a little bit. Maya loved Cory and Topanga like they were her own parents, but Riley needed to learn to be her own person. Maya had been thinking throughout this whole trip that this was a great first step. At the start, Riley was scared of everything. In the past few days that they were alone, though, Riley had actively tried to start conversations with fellow travelers. Once her parents arrived, she was back to old Riley. Maya loved Riley the way she was, of course, but she liked seeing a more confident version of her best friend for a few days.

“But… won’t you miss me at all?” Riley said, sniffling.

Maya knew she wasn’t seriously worried, but she would indulge her best friend anyway. “Of course I’ll miss you, doofus. I’ll miss you more than you know. But you know what, now we have another half day ahead of us in this great city and we should really make the most of it.”

“You’re right,” Riley conceded.

“I have a great idea,” Maya said after a short silence. “You’ll hate it, but it’s a great idea anyway.”

“What?” Riley asked.

“We should get matching tattoos,” Maya said, smiling knowingly. This was never going to happen, but if it were, the time was then and now, while Riley still had a chance at being Vacation Riley and her parents were gone.

Riley gasped. “You can’t be serious!”

Maya expected that answer.

“I’m totally serious. Think about it. It’s something that will bond us together forever,” Maya said. She wasn’t actually entirely serious about this, mostly because she knew Riley wouldn’t go for it. Maya would do it in a heartbeat, though, or she wouldn’t have suggested it. She couldn’t think of anything that meant more to her than Riley, and it would be a great way to commemorate this trip - their first trip as (legal) adults.

“But… I can’t get a tattoo. My parents would kill me,” Riley said.

“Your parents don’t have to know everything, you know? They’re the ones who left us here anyway. Also, you’re 18. You’re legally an adult, so what can they do?”

Maya saw Riley was actually considering what she’d said. Not that it would lead to anything, but her even _considering_ something as insane as this was already a big step. They really were growing up.

“You’re right. Let’s do it,” Riley said.

Maya gasped in surprise, her mouth gaping open.

“Didn’t think I’d say yes, did you?” Riley teased.

“I really didn’t. Are you sure?” Maya asked. She was concerned now. Impulsive Riley usually meant she would have to deal with Regrets Riley later on.

“I’m sure. One condition, it has to be something small and somewhere hidden,” Riley said.

They spent most of the afternoon hashing out what kind of a tattoo they’d get and where. Finally, they settled on a small infinity loop in blue and purple because they would always be there for each other and those were their favorite colors. Riley would get it on the side of her ribs where she could easily hide it, Maya would get it on her wrist. She didn’t have to hide it as no one in her life would mind.

They found a tattoo parlor run by two English expats that got great reviews on Yelp. They chose it to avoid communication mishaps. Maya went first and kept a brave face. She bit the insides of her cheeks to keep from crying because those needles poking her skin were ridiculously painful. She knew Riley would never do it if she saw how much it hurt, though. When it was Riley’s turn, Riley grabbed Maya’s hand before the tattoo artist even started applying the initial color, and when Riley felt the first sting of the needle, she squeezed Maya’s hand until Maya lost all feeling in it. Riley didn’t let go until the tattoo was done.

“How could you not warn me about how painful this was?” Riley yelled at Maya after they had walked out.

“Would you have done it if you’d known?” Maya said.

“Of course not,” Riley said.

“That’s why.” Maya smiled goofily at Riley.

Riley playfully punched her in the arm in response, then said, “Fair enough. I’m glad you made me do this. I’ll really miss you getting me to step out of my comfort zone.”

“You say that like I’m corrupting you. Mind you, this was your choice,” Maya said. She wasn’t trying to justify herself, but she really hoped that her words would keep Riley from blaming her for this.

“It was my choice and I know that. I can’t believe I did something rebellious for once. I can’t believe I’m going to keep something secret from my parents for once.”

Riley was beaming. She squealed and hugged Maya, making sure to avoid touching anything to the side of her ribs.

Maya couldn’t help but smile at her widely. She was in awe of Riley. Maya had been worried about Riley going off to college and whether Riley would live her own life and make her own choices. If this small, hidden tattoo had made Riley more confident in her own choices and even just a tiny bit less dependent on what her parents or other people thought of her, it was most definitely worth the pain.

 

* * *

**2023**

“Spring break, really?” Maya asked Riley.

They were on Facetime, Riley from her college dorm in Boston and Maya from her childhood bedroom in New York. They still saw each other nearly every weekend and talked a few times a week, but it just wasn’t the same as it was when they lived a few blocks apart.

“Yes. I’m told it’s the quintessential college experience that can’t be missed,” she said.

“I repeat, really?” Maya said in disbelief.

“Come on, Maya. It’ll be fun! We’ll go to Florida, get a tan, have some drinks. It won’t be the same without you there.”

Maya thought the party aspect was going to be the opposite of great. It was strange to Maya that she, the more rebellious of them as teenagers, had turned out to be quite boring as an adult. She liked to drink occasionally, but she simply didn’t have time to party much between school and her job and seeing Riley as much as possible (which had become a rare occurrence now that they were both juniors), and she wasn’t a huge clubbing person anyway. Riley, on the other hand, was a social butterfly. She went out a few times a week with her friends from college. Maya wasn’t bitter about it, but she did wish she was there and could get to experience Riley’s new life in real time instead of catching up on it during a phone call or in person much later.

Maya was, however, looking forward to spending time with Riley in any capacity. She could use some time away, too, and she had some money stashed away. Maya hardly ever spent the money she earned on herself, so she figured she deserved to treat herself. She’d been working part-time as an assistant to a designer and she ran a semi-successful Etsy store in which she sold her drawings. More importantly, though, she really missed seeing Riley all the time and could never say no to her, even if it meant going on spring break with her.

“Fine, I’m in,” Maya said.

“Eeeeeeee!!!” Riley nearly screamed Maya’s ears off.

***  
_Two months later_  
***

“I can’t believe the cruise was sold out,” Riley said.

All of Riley’s friends had planned to go on a day-long booze cruise to a nearby island. Of course the rest of them had all bought tickets weeks ago and Riley just completely, well, forgot. Maya hadn’t considered it necessary to remind her.

“We’ll just go lie on the beach and read a book, have a drink, chat. We are on vacation, aren’t we?” Maya said.

“Good idea,” Riley said.

An hour later, they sat in their hotel room, completely drenched. Within minutes, the sky had gone completely dark as a massive thunderstorm had hit the coast. They had quickly packed up their things and had run to their room. They had been lucky it was still warm out so the rain hadn’t felt horrible, but it was definitely not the staying-outside kind of weather.

“Aren’t you glad now that the cruise was sold out?” Maya said.

Riley snickered. “Ha ha, I kind of am,” she said. But then she added, “But I do feel bad that they aren’t going to get to enjoy it now.”

Of course she did. Riley had always been truly concerned about her friends’ happiness. Maya loved that about her.

“Can I confess something?” Maya asked.

“Of course,” Riley said.

“I’m actually really glad the cruise was sold out. Your friends are great, and you know I love them, but I’ve missed spending time with just you.” She hated how her voice caught a little bit when she said it. She really didn’t mean to get emotional about this and she hoped Riley didn’t notice.

“Oh Maya. I’m so sorry I’ve been so busy and preoccupied.” Riley looked sad now. Of course she’d noticed.

Shit, she didn’t mean to make Riley sad. She was already plenty upset about this herself.

“It’s not your fault, Riley. Please understand that. I chose to stay in the city.” And she did. She could have applied to art school anywhere. She could have applied to art school in Boston, but she hadn’t wanted to leave her mom by herself now that their relationship had finally become a healthy, good one. She also picked Parsons because helping her mom out with expenses and not paying for housing elsewhere was the most responsible decision financially.

“I chose to go away,” Riley said and frowned. “I could have gone to NYU, but I didn’t.”

“I firmly believe that we both made the best decision for ourselves. Maybe we needed to be apart for a little bit to appreciate each other more,” Maya said. She really did appreciate Riley, more than Riley knew, and she’d learned to not take Riley for granted. She didn’t think she ever really had, but she definitely noticed a gap in her life now when Riley wasn’t around that hadn’t been there when they’d been apart before. Maya had never had anyone in her life whom she had loved as much as she loved Riley. Maybe there never would be.

“I do agree that we made these decisions for ourselves. I’m not sure I agree that we needed to be apart, though. I miss you so much every day,” Riley said. “I think it’s why I surround myself with other people. Don’t get me wrong, I love Emily and the rest dearly, but, well, they’re not you.”

Maya smiled at that. When she was wallowing in her room after a particularly long day at work or when an assignment just didn’t come together the way she needed it to, her brain led her to believe that Riley was replacing her, even though she knew in the depths of her heart that that could never be true. But still, sadness and insecurity sometimes reared their ugly heads and that’s why it was so important for Maya to hear that Riley missed her just as much as she did. Relief swept over her.

“I love you so much,” Maya simply said in response. Riley was the only one she’d ever be this sappy with and who was allowed to see this side of her. Riley was special.

Riley smiled. “I love you too.”

 

* * *

**2026**

“Riley,” Maya croaked out. “I’m not feeling well.”

Riley walked into Maya’s room in the two-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn they now shared and put her hand on Maya’s forehead.

“You’re burning up,” Riley said.

“I can’t believe this,” Maya said. “I can’t get sick now, I’ve been waiting for this weekend for such a long time.”

Riley and Maya had planned to go to down to Ocean City this weekend for a mini beach getaway and to meet up with Riley’s uncle, Josh. Maya no longer had a crush on him like she did when she was a teenager and the four-year age difference was much less awkward now that she was 24 and he was 28. He had become a good friend of hers and he was like a fun older brother to Riley. But now she wouldn’t get to go see him and would spend her break from work being sick.

“I know how stressed you’ve been at work. You deserved that break,” Riley told her.

“I really did,” Maya said and sighed. Then she rolled over and fell asleep immediately.

***

Riley would have to do _something_. She knew how much Maya had been looking forward to her first weekend off in forever. With the exhibit opening last week at the art gallery she now helped run, Maya hadn’t had a break in god knows how long. Riley was pretty sure that’s why Maya got sick - it was the first time she could really afford to get sick.

She started writing a list of supplies, left a cryptic note for Maya that she’d be back soon in case she woke up before Riley made it back, and tiptoed out of the apartment. She really didn’t want to wake Maya.

Turns out, there was not much worry of that. Maya didn’t wake up again until the next afternoon. Riley went into Maya’s room once in the morning, just to check Maya wasn’t dead.

(She wasn’t.)

***

Maya returned to the land of the living after about 16 hours of sleep. Huh. She must have been truly sleep deprived in addition to being sick. Her fever had broken, though, she could feel it, and she felt much better.

“Riley, are you there?” she shouted so Riley could hear her in the other room.

“Yeah,” she shouted back and Maya heard footsteps. “How are you feeling?” she asked much more quietly. Riley stood in her doorframe, looking… oddly summer-y for a day spent at home. She was wearing an adorable red and orange summer dress that Maya intended to steal as soon as she was well enough, and flip flops.

“Much better,” Maya said.

“Good. Then you can come out into the living room and hang out with me,” Riley said.

“Can’t we just hang out in here?”

“No, thanks. I don’t want your germs,” Riley said, fake-shuddering.

Maya was pretty sure that wasn’t how it worked and that the germs would go wherever she went, but it was Riley, so she humored her.

“Okay, fine,” she said.

When they walked into the living room, Maya stopped in her tracks.

“Did you do all this?” Maya asked, smiling like a loon and surprised at the same time. Her face was probably truly comical, especially combined with the amazing sick look she’d already been rocking.

Maya was looking at a beach, in her own living room. She was grateful Riley had foregone the sand, but everything else was there. Beach chairs, an inflatable island the size of a queen bed with palm trees on it, even a large poster of a beach scenery that stretched over half of their living room wall and a chain of lights that reminded Maya of the summer. Their living room barely fit all of these things. And… were those…

“Cocktails?” Maya asked. She was still sick, so drinking probably wasn’t the best call.

“They’re virgin. With extra orange juice so you can get your Vitamin C,” Riley said, smiling at her.

“I can’t believe you did all this for me,” Maya said, still stunned.

“Of course I did. If we can’t go to the beach, I had to bring the beach to you.”

“Did I ever tell you you’re the best friend a girl could ask for?” Maya said.

“Yes, but I always like to hear it, so do go on,” Riley said and smiled.

“That was it. I’m done,” Maya said and laughed at Riley’s slightly pouty face. “If you’re not too scared of my germs, I’d really like to hug you.”

“Nah, I never get sick,” Riley said.

Maya practically leaped the few steps over to her (not an unimpressive feat for a sick person, she thought) and wrapped Riley up in a big hug.

When they let go, Riley walked over to their couch, grabbed all the pillows and blankets on it and threw them onto the fake island. She turned on the TV to a marathon of one of the reality shows that Riley said was mandatory comfort TV, then patted the empty space next to her, motioning for Maya to join her. Maya did so happily. Riley lay down on her back and stretched out her arm so Maya could lie on it. They stayed huddled up like that for a few hours, watching TV and laughing together.

***

When Riley felt the sniffles come on a few days later, she didn’t even mind.

 

* * *

**2029**

Maya had been living in Europe for ten months now. She was on a one-year assignment to help get a small gallery in Berlin up and running.

Ten months was exactly how long Riley hadn’t seen Maya. They had never gone this long without seeing each other. Yes, they’d been on Skype and Facetime every week at the start, but as they both got busier and the time difference got in their way, it had turned into once a month. They’d only emailed for the past few days, confirming all the details because they kept missing each other.

They’d joked about their terrible track record in traveling together in one of their emails, but Riley was truly worried something would go wrong. Something always did when they went somewhere together. She couldn’t make it another three months without seeing Maya.

Riley checked the date and time of her flight three times a day starting two weeks before it was happening. She set seven alarms on her phone and dug out her old manual alarm clock just to make sure one alarm would go off. She even put in new batteries. Riley slept terribly the night before her flight, always worried about missing her plane. She took a cab to the airport and made sure to be there four hours before her flight took off. She finally got on her plane, the plane didn’t crash (that would have been terrible after she had successfully managed to do everything else right) and eight hours later she landed in Berlin.

After she got her luggage and walked out in the arrivals area, Maya was waiting for her. Riley started running, nearly tripping over her feet twice, but she made it and practically flung herself into Maya’s arms. They were hugging each other tightly for at least a minute, neither willing to let go. Riley was crying.

“I missed you so much,” she said. Riley wiped the tears off her face and finally got a good look at Maya.

“You look amazing,” Riley said, beaming.

Maya’s hair was shorter, barely grazing her shoulder blades. She looked fantastic, especially coupled with the dark red lipstick and matching V-neck halter top, black skinny jeans, and heels she was wearing.

“Thanks! Got my hair cut last week.” Maya was smiling brightly. Then she added, “I missed you too, so much.”

“Can you believe I made it here?” Riley asked.

“I almost can’t,” Maya answered. “It’s been too long.”

“It really has. Well, at least I’m here. As long as you don’t lose me, nothing can go wrong now,” Riley said.

“I’m not going to lose you,” Maya said and swung her arm around her. “I’m never letting you go,” she said.

They both laughed at how cheesy that line was, but neither of them did let go for a very long time.

***  
Despite their time apart, they fell back into old habits very quickly, and it was as if no time had passed at all since they’d last seen each other. Riley guessed that once you’d been best friends for over twenty years, that was just how it went. She knew now that Maya would be in her life forever.

On top of that, nothing did go wrong throughout Riley’s entire ten-day trip. There was that time Riley almost tripped over a dog, but she chose not to count that. It seemed like a sign that they were truly grown up now.


End file.
